Art Contest in the Old Melbourne Gaol and Penal Museum - Essay Example

Order 320243 Topic: arts/sports feature or profile & critique The News feature: An art contest in the Old Melbourne Gaol and Penal Museum! Incredible! We investigative journalists are amenable to wildest imaginations; expect odd, difficult and unpredictable situations in the discharge of our fact finding and reporting duties. Some of us like adventures that may have serious repercussions on our personal safety. But this invitation from my friend Major General Thomson (Retired), the Curator of the Gaol Museum managed by the National Trust of Australia startled me. He was not willing to give further details. “Bring a compact camera team. Just three members! Only one newspaper and one TV team has been invited. This event has nothing to do with the museum paintings as such. Three top artists of Australia are participating in a contest and submit their painting for final evaluation. A panel of four master-artists will decide which the best one is and obviously who is the greatest amongst them. More of it, when we meet personally! I request you to arrive two hours before the event, which will begin at 4.00 p.m. I have to talk to you on a very important issue….. Keep this invitation a top secret. You know, I always trust you. Be extra careful even with your team members; let them not know in advance where they are heading for. The Museum staff will escort you and your team. The Cardinal is a great lover of Art. In his churches art flourished. Competitions are held regularly and the budding artists are rewarded and encouraged. The Cardinal has a strong desire to name the top artist in Australia. After a prolonged exercise lasting for six months, three artists are selected for the final round. The Cardinal is a great artist himself. After close scrutiny of the works of art of those three artists, his big problem is to decide who is the topmost. They are of equal merit. Two of the three are egoistic about their art-knowledge and creativity, and the third one is humble and full of humility. The Cardinal, being the Realized Soul, understands the inner mould of each one of them. He thinks that the time has arrived to make the people of the country know that one of them is the greatest! The final round of competition would decide the issue. This competition will be held within the premises of Old Melbourne Gaol and Penal Museum! Major General Thomson is a great friend of the Cardinal. There are intelligence reports that an international gang of art smugglers has plans to rob these precious paintings. The gang consists of six members, including two women. What is significant about this museum? “A fairly macabre and quite fascinating museum in the heart of Melbourne city centre. This is without doubt one of Melbournes most interesting and popular museums, recalling the history of more than 100 prisoners, all of which were hanged here. Attractions include a large display of instruments used to torture the prisoners - including a kidney belt, single and multiple canes, a flogging machine and much more besides. Full of stories and history, the Old Melbourne Gaol has been home to many infamous villains and convicts, such as Ned Kelly, who was hanged here in 1880. The amour of Ned Kelly is one of the main exhibits….” (Old Melbourne…) The same smugglers gang had threatened to smuggle the entire stock of such ‘precious’ stock of the Gaol, four months ago. “Yes, I do it deliberately,” avers Major General Thomson. I am extending a double invitation to the rogue smugglers. Rob the paintings and the heritage stock of the Gaol!” I know how the mind of the General works. He means business. His elaborate security plans are meant to smash this international gang. For the art exhibition, only fifty-five individuals have been invited, forty male and fifteen female. The latest reports reveal that the gang in full strength will strike at the gaol on the day of the exhibition and how they will carry out the plan, is anybody’s guess. General has no clues about the details, and yet he has studied the past acts of dare-devilry of this ruthless gang. “I have not asked for any additional security,” says the General with a wry smile. Such a step may alert the gang, and they may abort the plan of attack. I have definite information about their strike plans today and I wish to put an end to the serious problem posed by this gang on the Australian art and heritage products scene, once for all!” General’s confidence will confuses others, but he is known to commit no mistakes. Yet he says, “It’s a war-like situation, where guns and hand-grenades will speak. One side has to win the war. The attack will take place!” The General’s calm disposition is amazing! Critique: The General’s confidence is reassuring; his unwillingness to reveal the details of the operation causes problems for me. My men are the trusted employees of our Organization and I am not in a position to tell my News Bureau Chief the purpose of this mission. The General has forbidden any discussion on the topic. That he has selected only our newspaper for covering this ‘operation’ is a tribute to the popularity of the newspaper and the trust the General has reposed on me. What if, something goes wrong suddenly? Why armed security is not augmented in the premises of the Gaol Museum? Am I putting the lives of my men at risk by asking them to cover an uncertain, risky operation? I summon an impromptu staff meeting and give them as detailed briefing. I tell them my estimate of the scenario and the steps that we have to follow in case of emergencies. A call arrives from the General that the escort car is on the way and four bullet proof inner-jackets have been sent, which we are all supposed to wear, before journeying to Gaol. The holding of the painting exhibition within the Gaol is an unprecedented step and a part of my mind tells me that the General is bidding for the risks. For the international smugglers, latest firearms are like toys and this gang has a very bad reputation of killings and kidnappings for ransom. It is active for the last five years, and is known to have six hardcore members and the support of an unknown numbers of informers. Thick rumors float that they have the highest level contacts at all levels. The General’s silence on all these issues is intriguing, and yet I am willing to take the risk on the merit of his words! Critique (This Part 2 of your instructions) The journalist of any reputed newspaper would like to cover a good story. As for me, I am specially assigned the task of producing investigative stories on issues that are of national importance. But this particular story, if everything goes well, is a boon to me by my friend Thomson. I do not search this story. The story comes searching for me! So, the task of finding the story is absent in this situation, but the meeting the unpredictable challenges is definitely an issue. That the outwardly tough and steely looking General has sent us the bullet proof kit shows that he is concerned about the safety of our lives. I have the inner feeling that this evening is going to be an eventful one and the live story that we are going to cover will have national importance and historical significance. We reach the Gaol. We split and the four escorting personnel take us to the chamber of the General through different routes. The driver takes the escorting vehicle trough the regular door and he delivers our shooting equipment later at the office of the General. The General takes me to a separate room and gives me the details of the minute-to-minute program of the day. It reads, 16.00 hrs to 17.00 hrs: Viewing of the paintings by the members of the jury 17.00 hrs to 17.15 hrs: Announcement of the results 17.15 hrs to 17.45hrs: Tea Break 17.45 hrs to 18.30 hrs: Visit to Gaol Museum. The visitors move to the Gaol museum which is situated at a distance of about 500 yards and the visitors have to pass through a protected corridor to reach there. “This is the corridor about which you have to take extra care,” says the General. The General then takes me to the Gaol Museum, for a preview. I am surprised by the lack of elaborate security arrangements. Unarmed, uniformed personnel comprising of the museum staff manned the various show-windows. I have given you all the information that you need to know about the issue at present. I repeat, “I expect the attack will take place, anytime after the results of the art competition are declared!” I next spoke to the Cardinal. He gave me interesting details about the events that led to this final round of competition. “Make a painting of a two months old child," we told the artists. "You are given a weeks time. Next Sunday, the paintings will be placed before the Expert Panel, and the Panels decision shall be final. This Cardinal will preside over the panel.” ------Next Sunday, the hall was brimming with Officials, and the art enthusiasts! Who was the greatest artist in Australia? Well, it would be known soon! The three paintings were put on display. What astounding works of art they were! There was divinity in those paintings. I along with the panel members examined them. We evaluated! We studied them stroke by stroke! We discussed them threadbare! We re-examined! Had a fresh look at them! We judged from spiritual and secular angles, the finer points that make a work of art great. We huddled together for quite sometime and ultimately came to a decision! "The learned Panel has come to a unanimous conclusion that all the three Paintings are of equal merit. These are the greatest works of art." “And my intuition is,” said the Cardinal, “One of you has got to be the first among the equals. This competition shall be arranged again after two days. You can resubmit the same painting, if you are convinced about its ultimate perfection. You may improve upon it or you may even make a new painting. The decision is left to you." "Making a new painting? Or improving upon the painting? Impossible! This is the perfect piece that our brush can stroke on the canvas! Each bristle of the brush has done its best and the appropriate job, with appropriate colors at the most appropriate place, in the most appropriate manner," the two artists had no second thoughts! Yes, God had created them equal, yet with a difference. For, the third artist thought it fit to present a revised Painting, as if he had a divine-ordained mission to do so! And that brings us to this Gaol Museum. The General is insistent. The finals must be conducted here,” concluded the Cardinal. ….and the declaration of results in the finals was a two minutes affair! With nothing much to do for the panel of Judges, they walked across, the first two paintings. They were the same, without any changes! The selected audience of fifty persons sat stiff and silent, their eyes and also ears highly alert! The panel members saw nothing special as such in the third painting also and yet they gazed and gazed, some unique vibrations making them ponder over and over again. Then the Cardinal screamed in joy, “O, My God! How great! What a creation...I knew you are the greatest, and he embraced the artist! --What was the revised painting anyway? It was the same painting but with a few, fine, delicate strokes, the discerned could see the growth of two days of the child. The King observed that changed perception of the child in its eyes looking at the world around it. The artist had got the balance exactly right! There was divinity and sparkle in those eyes and the baby looked as if directly flown from the celestial world! He had succeeded in conveying in a unique way, that particular idea and meaning through the spiritual canvas, with regard to the advancement of time element in the life of that innocent, little entity! The difference on account of those additional two days! The audience greeted the announcement in military type discipline! A part of the day’s function successfully over, the General was yet a worried man. The TV van/crew did not arrive well in time. No TV coverage of the art-competition event! He had sent the Gaol escort to the studio and the last message received stated that they left the studio fifteen minutes late, with an eight member crew and two female reporters.” The General dialed again to the escort. He said, “We are reaching …caught in jam…” The voice was hardly clear and inaudible in the noise of traffic! ….On conclusion of the tea party, the major part of the audience led by the General, moved towards the Gaol Museum. The Cardinal, the artists and some part of the audience stayed on at the hall. Others leisurely covered the distance between the two buildings and they entered the 60 ft. long corridor, as the TV van came to a screeching halt. “Wait, you scoundrels! We are here to greet you!” some one shouted and there was commotion. Two heavily armed men rushed to the corridor and within seconds they had taken position on either side of the corridor and shut both the gates, the marching audience trapped inside. “Do not move … or else we will soak you in blood!” Four other armed members were seen rushing towards the art exhibition hall. Soon, one could hear the gunshots from that building. Within the next spit second, the two armed men guarding the corridor were seen wriggling on the ground, shot in the legs. One of their attackers opened the grill gates of the corridor and soon the audience split into two groups and both of them were disarmed and chained. The entire audience was the secret service agents under the Command of General Thomson! “Take care of these scoundrels!” shouted the General, “twenty of you move with me, to the hall. We need to look after more people with injured legs there!” Some of you reach out the TV van. Some are in trouble over there.” …The crew members, whose hands and legs remained tied, were soon set free and they were on their shooting job with added enthusiasm. Six handcuffed and chained and gangsters, including the two women, were taken to a special room, for the preliminary interrogation. “Well I will do it later; press coverage first” said the General prompting me! The gangsters were most unwilling to talk. “We must contact our lawyer first,” their leader screamed. “Talk about your lawlessness first, before you talk to your lawyer,” shouted the angry General. I begin to shoot my questions. “Since how long you have been planning this assault?” There was no reply. “Will you answer his question? I know better methods of extracting information from you,” the General shouted again, as a group or secret service agents closed in. “I know,” relented the General, “These two-legged devils will not answer a question even if we powder their bones. Dump them in a room and we inform the police. I will tell you their story. Initially they had planned to rob all the articles in the gaol Museum and this painting exhibition enticed them further. They had engaged a helicopter to Para drop them within the jail premises. The plan was abandoned as the noise of the helicopter would alert the security. They planned to kill all the guards and the whole operation would be over in ten minutes. Their next move was confusing. I expected them to dig a secret tunnel to reach the inner precincts of Gaol. We made elaborate search, with no clues. But they outsmarted me in ambushing the TV crew to hijack the van to enter the Gaol, dressed as members of the crew. But our alertness worked. They had no inkling that the entire audience for the Art contest consisted of only secret service agents.” You will get answers for your every question. Let the police arrive! In the meantime, let them recount how many murders they have committed and mentally draw a balance sheet of their heinous acts. This is the Gaol that has the history of over 100 hangings of the convicted criminals and murders. The police and the people must know it,” said the General. ********** References Cited: Old Melbourne Gaol and Penal Museum: Old Gaol in Melbourne Area…. www.melbourne.world-guides.com/melbourne_old_gaol.html - Cached - Retrieved on September 13, 2009 Read More